South Walton Beach Accesses - Beach Parking, Lifeguards, Restrooms

Everyone wants to know where to park at the beach in South Walton. What features do our beach accesses have? Which 30A beach accesses have restrooms. Which beach accesses have lifeguards, ADA accessibility, wheelchairs available for public use, beach chair rentals, etc. We have all the locations and details about public beach accesses in South Walton, Florida.

New for Spring 2025: the South Walton Lifeguard locations and team members continue to grow - lifeguard towers have recently been added to ALys Beach and Seaside.

Almost two-thirds of Walton County's 26 miles of beaches is accessible to the general public. In addition, resorts, hotels and private vacation rentals offer exclusive beach access to guests.

Just go to our SoWal Beach Access Guide with a list of all beach accesses (with photos) in Walton County >

NOTE - as of March 2024, Van Ness Butler, Jr. Regionla Access between WaterColor and Seaside is closed and will no longer be a public beach access as a result of a lawsuit against Walton County. Read more about it.

In our South Walton Beach Access Guide we have a map of all beach accesses along with features. Each beach access has it's own page with photos and video with more details. It's easy to find out which beach access is near your rental. As a matter of fact, many beach rental companies link tour beach access guide, and link to our beach access videos on our Youtube Channel or in our SoWal Video Gallery.

To distinguish between county-owned public beach and privately managed beach, visit the interactive map of Walton County Tourism. By typing in a physical address, you can find the nearest beach access.

Neighborhood Beach Access (NBA) offers public beach access via boardwalk. These smaller public accesses are located within neighborhoods and designed primarily for walk-up traffic. Many of these NBAs also have flags indicating current surf conditions.

Regional Beach Access (RBA) offers public beach access via boardwalk with restrooms, parking, showers, bike racks as well as ADA access in select locations. Our nine RBAs can be found on public beaches from Miramar Beach in the west to Inlet Beach in the east. Each RBA also has a flag indicating current surf conditions, as well as a lifeguard on duty between March and October.

Walton County has three State Parks that offer beach access - Topsail Hill Preserve State Park, Grayton Beach State Park and Deer Lake State Park. Just past the eastern county line next to Inlet Beach is Camp Helen State Park. The parks also have restrooms, trails, and some have camping, biking, fishing, canoe and kayak rentals to enjoy on coastal dune lakes. Be aware that during summer season these parks often fill up and early. Please visit www.SoWal.com/parks to learn all about parks in and around South Walton.

Historically, Walton County has always included a mix of public and private beaches with varying rules on how and when to access the beach. In 2023, a settlement was reached between the county and private beachfront owners. As outlined in the settlement, public access to privately owned beaches is now allowed up to 20 feet landward from the wet/dry sand line, known as the Transitory Zone. Beachgoers can use this area for walking, running, jogging and entry into the water for swimming and other water activities. These other rules and restrictions apply:
- Sunbathing, whether with personal beach chairs or towels, is allowed between 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Chair/umbrella rental through a vendor may be offered.
- To avoid overcrowding, the number of beachgoers in an owner-managed private beach is limited to the equivalent of one person per five feet of the private beach frontage.
- Beachgoers cannot access the transitory zone through the owner-managed beach site. Pay attention to signage at these areas to determine where you can enter.
- Private beach owners, their guests/renters have full use of their private beach, and may relocate or remove beachgoers if they are not complying with the rules.

More important links and Info about South Walton Beaches:

South Walton Beach Rules and Safety Information >

South Walton Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) >

South Walton Forum: Everything You Need to Know About 30A >

Weather for South Walton Beaches & 30A in Florida >

Red Tide Information for Walton County, Florida >